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Additional TV's Question

I haven't been back to these forums in some time but I know where the experts live.

Back Ground: I've been a DirecTV customer for some time, 6-7 years now. I have one of the first generation dishes that have the 5 sat LNB's. My dish has 4 cables coming out of it, right at the arm that holds the Dish to the deck. Each cable comes into my house and go directly to my 3 TV's (2 runs to the HD DVR). The rest of my house I'm using Comcast cable as I didn't want STB's at all the TV's. I have RG6 runs to every room in the house and they all terminate in the garage where I have a small apartment complex grade amp in the garage.

Problem: Comcast is rolling out all digital to the house (in the MD area) and even if you have a 100% digital TV you still need a STB. They have a smart version and a dumb version of STB. While I can live with STB on each TV, they are going backwards (IMHO) and making you have each TV on Channel 3.

So I've decided that since I have to go with a STB at each TV anyhow I might as well save some $ and drop Comcast and go DT all the way.

Question: What hardware do I need to either add or replace in my current DirecTV/Dish setup to gain an additional 4 runs? Is there a solution that I can run one RG6 from the dish to my garage where all my existing RG6 runs terminate and use the splitter/multiplexer there? Or do all 8 (4 existing and 4 new) have to come from the dish? Also, I'm not opposed to adding more than 4 new (maybe 6 for a total of 10).

You could run the four lines from the dish to a SWM8, which would give you the capability for up to 8 tuners with each receiver fed (through a splitter) with a single cable. Multiple SWM8s can be fed with splitters for those with more than 8 tuners (or the new SWM16 can be used). There is also an LNB assembly with built-in SWM, but this is only compatible with the Slimline dish, not the AT-9.

You could run the four lines from the dish to a SWM8, which would give you the capability for up to 8 tuners with each receiver fed (through a splitter) with a single cable. Multiple SWM8s can be fed with splitters for those with more than 8 tuners (or the new SWM16 can be used). There is also an LNB assembly with built-in SWM, but this is only compatible with the Slimline dish, not the AT-9.

Thanks guys, I'm a bit confused as I'm a newbie for the most part. I created this crude drawing showing my dish location, the 4 existing blue runs (all going to HD TV's one with DVR taking two cables). What would be ideal is I can terminate the 4 existing runs in the area of the blue box OK with some sort of switch, etc., then running the 4 blue cables to the existing DirecTV TV's. What would be best is from that blue area, run one cable (green in the drawing) to where all my house RG6's terminate and split/multiplex from there for all the new TV's to hook up. That green cable run would be about 50'. I'd hate to have to run 4 or 5 cables from the blue area to the red area. Can it be done?

Actually I already have one D* cable run to the red area, so lets say on the drawing that green cable becomes blue (existing run). Can I just install something at the end of that green cable to split without signal loss?

One more thing, according to the Info & Test screen, I have a slimline-5 dish.

Even better, since you have an HD-DVR, MRV is coming next month, and the upgrade to that (reportedly $149) will get you a SWM-LNB and Slimline dish, SWM compatable receivers, network connection over coax (DECA) and a splitter you can attach additional receivers to at will. Each receiver (DVR or not) will only require one coax connection.

(I have nothing against DIY, but if you don't understand all the new technology, and don't want to, why not spend a few bucks and be much more up-to-date?)

Even better, since you have an HD-DVR, MRV is coming next month, and the upgrade to that (reportedly $149) will get you a SWM-LNB and Slimline dish, SWM compatable receivers, network connection over coax (DECA) and a splitter you can attach additional receivers to at will. Each receiver (DVR or not) will only require one coax connection.

(I have nothing against DIY, but if you don't understand all the new technology, and don't want to, why not spend a few bucks and be much more up-to-date?)

Do you have to have a DVR in the two rooms to take advantage of MRV?

I thought about just letting D* come do it .... I might even go that route.

I thought about just letting D* come do it .... I might even go that route.

For MRV, you need to have (at least) one HD DVR and another HD receiver (or HD DVR). At this point, it would seem senseless to add any SD receivers even to connect to SD TVs... HD receivers work fine connected to SD TVs (although the very newest HD receivers don't have an RF output, so wouldn't work with really old SD TVs that don't have composite input).

The MRV/DECA upgrade will update everything to SWM and add the DECA adapters for network connection, for a flat fee. It will not upgrade SD boxes to HD or non-DVRs to DVRs, and SD receivers can't participate in MRV. This is all rumored to start May 13.